I think I might be guilty of posting in other people's sections, but never to deter people from buying, simply praising an item (like shit, that's a nice card, good luck), or something.
We have had some instances of late where people have listed items for sale, only to have someone post negatively either about the price, product being sold or about the way the item is listed/being sold.
This is what could be called "white anting" - where someone undermines the chances of selling an item by making a comment.
If you aren't sure what this means, read on these scenarios :
and another
I have decided that from now, any such posts regarding a thread in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum will be removed and the person warned. This place is as much a sellers forum as a buyers forum, and people should be allowed to list their items without being undermined by other members.
DO NOT POST IN OTHERS BUY/SELL/TRADE POSTS UNLESS IT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO MAKING AN OFFER TO TRADE, BUY OR SELL THE ITEMS LISTED.
Don't get me started with people quoting a price from ebay as there's some strange people there..who in their right mind would sell a dollar for less than a dollar and then there's the one's that have a super cheap price but then look at the price of postage and half the time it is 10 times dearer than the item it's self. And some people just want a quick buck or sellin stolen goods so there's a lot to take into account..but well done Graham
Now Graham, as I don't mind doing a good deed now and then and as I'm on the DSP, can I send in white envelope..I'll still send in padded bag if someone buys but if it's a freebie it should be ok shouldn't it
And I must commend you and the rest of the team for such a fantastic site..well done and keep up the good work it keeps me off the steets
So just to be clear Andrew and Graham, ozcardtrader is requesting it's members to not say anything if they see something that is incorrect or misleading in someone's post? I think you need to be on the record stating that you are okay with members being blatantly deceptive and providing incorrect information to improve sales, so that members can know exactly what their options are and also the morals the site stands for.
I completely agree with this rule and how it is explained. A seller is totally within their right to ask for double the 'going' rate if they feel inclined. And it is rude to share your opinions on the card being listed if they are of a negative variety. I've never done this and just move along when I see something that I may question.
I took specific interest in the recent post in question though, because I was considering purchasing the card. If the seller had listed it for sale and I disagreed with the price or saw that they were selling for less on Ebay, I would've left it and moved on. That's not what he did though. As I detailed in my post (that's been deleted) HE STATED ebay sales figures in his thread as a way to show buyers they were getting a good deal. I wasn't commenting on his desired sale prices or the quality of the card he was trying to sell. Because I was interested in buying the card I checked those figures he mentioned and found them to be incorrect and also deceptive. He quoted incorrect sales on 2 different posts in his thread. Once, may possibly be human error, but twice is an intentional effort to mislead. Especially when your opening line in the thread is
FOR SALE ONLY, DID RESEARCH ON THESE CARDS AND THEY ARE WELL BELOW EBAY PRICES.
So either he is being dishonest about the figures or about having done any research. I did research and found out quickly that his figures were very misleading and incorrect.
I never questioned the condition of the card at any time or even the price he was asking. I questioned his incorrect and misleading use of data and also the way he used these incorrect figures to label the cards as a 'bargain'. I posted a response because I was very close to buying the card BASED on the figures he'd stated, and was quite surprised and upset to find that they were EXCEPTIONALLY misleading. I could've patted myself on the back, happy that I dodged a bullet and moved on. Meanwhile, someone less experienced and who doesn't know how to research well takes the seller on their word and buys the card thinking they got a bargain. Then they find out later they were actually mislead and overpaid and take a loss on the card. I would feel like crap if I found out this happened to someone and I'd just 'moved on' when I knew it was a lie. If ozcardtrader is okay with that, then just let it be known that we are a community of collectors looking out for ourselves and buyers beware. I even had someone PM me shortly after I posted, thanking me for the information as they too were thinking seriously about buying it.
As I see it, this rule works both ways. Sellers are able to list whatever cards they like for however much they like. It's not the buyers place to mention Ebay or COMC prices. But when the SELLER themselves introduces previous sales as a marketing tool.....and the information is incorrect, other site members have every right to point this out.
I'm not trying to cause trouble and am happy to keep to myself and not mention anything in the future. If this is the environment the site is going for though, I'll be making sure to let others know so they are aware that they may be mislead. Sorry for any troubles caused.
P.S. In the seller's response to my post, no apology was offered for the misleading figures. They were just edited shortly after, with no mention of the editing (I have screenshots to show this). The issue I have with the response though was the members statement that it was on BUYERS to do their research.....insinuating that it's their own fault if they get mislead. Due diligence is important......but so is trust in a small community like this.
If you believe the member is being misleading, you can a) PM the member and include us on the message or b) report the post and provide us with your thoughts.
DO NOT POST IN OTHERS BUY/SELL/TRADE POSTS UNLESS IT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO MAKING AN OFFER TO TRADE, BUY OR SELL THE ITEMS LISTED.
In general, I think it is good practice to do your own research on cards you are buying. Too often you see cards listed incorrectly or falsely.
That being said, another rule here is :
Deceit in any form is frowned upon. For example, full disclosure and honesty of the condition and authenticity of patches or autographs on items is expected. Not doing so is considered deceitful behaviour. This rule extends past the realm of OzCardTrader.com.au eg eBay - shilling your own eBay auctions (shilling is bidding up an item you listed to get a higher final price by using another account you or someone you know owns to bid up the price). This is also considered deceitful. If it is discovered that you have knowingly deceived or ripped off another collector anywhere in the world, you will be suspended or banned from this site. You represent the site and the protection of our member's integrity is priority number one.
If there is a trend or history of a seller engaging in deceitful tactics here, we will take action. We firstly need to know about it and reporting it is the best way to do this.
No problems Graham, I appreciate the response. I'm really not trying to cause trouble. I thought about not bothering to post initially and then I thought about deleting my post immediately after posting it because I didn't want to cause trouble. The only reason I posted it on the thread and not through pm to admin or seller, was because it had been a very prominent post for a few days, with several hundred views. If I msg the seller and he either arcs up like he did in his thread OR agrees it's incorrect and changes it.....only me and him know it was incorrect, not everyone who's read it. As it turned out, my post was deleted and the seller quietly edited his original posts, without actually saying he had done that. So unless people were really paying attention, they may have no clue on what's happened.
I will attempt to handle things differently in future situations by contacting admin first.